28 February 2014, the court denied KY’s request for a 90-day stay of the order requiring KY to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere, and issued a 21-day stay instead. The recently added plaintiffs (Timothy Love and Laurence Ysunza) seeking marriage within KY had requested an injunction allowing marriages immediately, but the court also denied that request.

4 March 2014, KY Attorney General Jack Conway decided not to appeal the federal court order that KY must recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages, which would have left as the only remaining issue the question of whether KY must issue marriage licenses to its own residents, but KY Governor Steve Beshear said he will hire outside lawyers to appeal that ruling.

14 March 2014, KY Governor Steve Beshear asked the court to delay the 20 March 2014 effective date when KY must start recognizing marriages from other states.

20 March 2014, the court stayed enforcement of its final order (requiring KY to recognize marriages performed elsewhere) pending the outcome from the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

17 November 2014, the Kentucky plaintiffs filed their Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the Supreme Court, seeking reversal of 6th Circuit decision. All four 6th Circuit states have now filed with SCOTUS!

23 December 2014, all of the the 6th Circuit marriage cases - Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee - are scheduled for the 9 January 2014 Supreme Court Conference. Also on the list for this conference (previously reported) is the petition for cert before judgment in the Louisiana case. Kentucky: http://1.usa.gov/1rfijSt

9 January 2015, per Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSblog, the Court did not grant cert to (take for review) any new cases today. (See the 2nd through 5th cases listed in this article.) The orders that were issued today were routine. New orders will be released on Monday, 12 January 2015.

12 January 2015, SCOTUS issued orders denying cert to Louisiana's Robicheaux before the 5th Circuit rules, but took no action on the cases from the 6th Circuit. Orders list. UPDATE: The Court has officially listed all four 6th Circuit marriage cases for consideration at their conference on Friday, 16 January 2015.

26 June 2015, WE WON! LOVE WON! Majority opinion by Justice Kennedy, 6-3. Per @SCOTUSblog, the Court's opinion relies on the dual rationales of fundamental rights AND equal protection and seems to go out of its way not to state a standard of scrutiny. "...the majority opinion rejects the claim that marriage is about procreation, even while saying that protecting children of same-sex couples supports the Court's ruling: "This is not to say that the right to marry is less meaningful for those who do not or cannot have children. An ability, desire, or promise to procreate is not and has not been a prerequisite for a valid marriage in any State." READ THE RULING

28 July 2015, SCOTUS issued Judgment in the 6th Circuit cases (Obergefell)."THESE CAUSES came on to be heard on the transcript of the record from the above court and were argued by counsel."ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, it is ordered and adjudged by Court that the judgment of the above court are reversed with costs."

Details of this case at SCOTUS are posted as Obergefell on our National page under LAWSUITS-RESOLVED.

Two same-sex couples moved to intervene in what wasBourke v. Beshear case (after the judge granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs in that case, which raised only recognition claims).

That motion was granted and the judge renamed the case.

2 February 2014, a motion for preliminary injunction was denied; 19 March 2014, answer filed.

24 March 2014, the Attorney General was ordered dismissed as a defendant.

18 April 2014, Plaintiffs-Intervenors filed motions for summary judgment and immediate injunctive relief. Defendant filed his response to plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on 19 May 2014; replies were filed 28 May 2014.

19 May 2014 the governor filed his opposition to the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment. He quoted the "continuation of the human race and that only man-woman couples can naturally procreate" argument.

Kentucky v. Bobbie Jo Clary

Case #: 11-CR-3329Date Filed: 2011Ruling Date: 23 September 2013

Description:

On 29 October 2011, George Murphy died at his home in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. Prosecutors believe Bobbi Jo Clary, the defendant, committed murder by striking him with a hammer. Clary asserts that she acted in self-defense, that Murphy had been attacking her and had raped her.

Prosecutors also say that Clary's civil union partner, Geneva Case, observed evidence in the death and heard Clary admit to murder, and they sought to compel Clary to testify against Case.

Clary sought to invoke “marital privilege” by reason of her Vermont Civil Union to Case, and Case sought to quash the subpoena issued against her demanding she testify against Clary.

The judge ruled that it was abundantly clear that Kentucky does not recognize same-sex marriages within the state or from other states, and that Case was mandated to testify against Clary.

Follow-up: In January 2014, after pleading guilty to murder, robbery and tampering with physical evidence, Clary was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) was the grassroots movement to win marriage in the United States. With the U.S. Supreme Court victory on June 26, 2015 the work of the organization - though not the larger movement - was achieved and MEUSA ceased formal operations, closing in late 2017. For inquires please contact lovewins@marriageequality.org.